Nike isn’t done reimagining the Air Presto with new materials. This one in woven construction marks the greatest departure from the original. Removed the neoprene fabrication that identifies the traditional model, a woven toe and midfoot paneling in basket weave fashion alters the course of the shoe sartorially. The Nike Air Presto Woven debuts in […]

BMW is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and, to mark the occasion, it made futuristic concept cars for not only its own brand, but for subsidiaries Rolls-Royce and Mini, as well.

All three wear the “Vision Next 100” name, which references BMW’s intent to predict the direction car design will take over the next century.

The Rolls-Royce Vision Next 100 concept attempts to blend an electric powertrain and autonomous driving with some of the British luxury carmaker’s more traditional design elements. Also known as the 103EX, in keeping with Rolls’ naming tradition for factory experimental cars, the concept is a large coupe, which stretches more than 19 feet in length.

The concept has radically different styling from any current Rolls — or virtually any other current production car — with front wheels housed in their own fairings, separated from the body. Rolls would not divulge specifics about the car’s electric powertrain but noted that the body is made from composite materials to reduce weight.

Many Rolls owners are likely used to being driven around, but in the Vision Next 100, computers take over that job from human chauffeurs. There are no manual controls at all; instead, the interior consists of an OLED display at one end and a couch-like bench seat at the other.

The car is also equipped with a virtual assistant that gets to “know” its owner and can help with tasks like making restaurant reservations or organizing a person’s schedule. When it’s time to step out of the lounge-like interior, the door opens rearward — just like in current Rolls models — while a section of the roof lifts up to create a larger aperture.

As if that wasn’t theatrical enough, the car also illuminates a path in red light, creating a high-tech red carpet.

The Vision Next 100 is purely a design exercise and isn’t intended for production. But Rolls has considered building an electric car before. In 2011, the carmaker unveiled the 102EX, an all-electric version of the Phantom sedan. Rolls demonstrated the car to potential customers, whose complaints about inadequate range and other issues ultimately led to the project being scrapped.

Since the silhouette’s initial release, the adidas NMD’s popularity has only grown hotter and hotter. Now, the latest rendition of the sneaker sees the adidas NMD R1 dressed in a vibrant “Solar Red.”

No stranger to maximizing comfort on their products, adidas is taking the NMD back to a mesh upper construction, perfect for breathability. Neoprene is used around the heelcup and collar, and a red-dyed boost midsole completes the fiery look for the sneaker. The shade of red present on the upper is consistent with the rest of the sneaker, giving the shoe an overall look of cohesiveness and suitable flare.

According to French stockist SNKRS, you can expect a release sometime around September 2016.

Prince was always ahead of the creative curve, and an often unacknowledged component of his artistic empire was his progressive web presence. As an official recipient of a 2006 Webby Award, the legendary late musician’s online legacy has been honored in The Prince Online Museum, which has archived 12 of his most popular sites but acknowledge that he launched over 20 URLS altogether, managed a range of social media presences and linked up countless online chats with fans and collaborators. Museum director Sam Jennings explained the following:

“The Museum was built by the people who worked directly with Prince on these projects… We are the originators, we are the experts. It is a labor of love, no money has been exchanged. There will be no downloads sold and no membership fees required. But we do have working versions of almost all of Prince’s official websites.”

Summertime is getaway time, be it to a nearby beach, a cabin in the woods, or a far-off land a plane ride or two away. And, of course, some folks travel virtually year-round to work and play. So how to avoid travel ills no matter how much you roam? Simple: Keep your body fortified all year long so it’s less susceptible to bugs—and better equipped to fight them should one or two gain a foothold.

How to fortify yourself? The classic rules apply: Eat fresh, whole foods; get regular exercise; get enough rest; steer clear of sugar, drugs, and alcohol; and supplement strategically to help fill in any nutritional gaps along the way. Next, when it’s time to hit the road for work or pleasure, add a bit more firepower to your health arsenal by stocking your carry-on with my five favorite Feel-Good Travel Essentials to help cut common health interruptions off at the pass:

It’s always a good idea to pay attention to your gut health, doing what you can to keep your microbiome in balance. A compromised gut won’t function well, giving rise to digestive problems like chronic indigestion, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation–none of which you want to be dealing with while away from home. To keep your gut in check, two of the simplest things you can do is to lay off the sugar that bad bacteria thrive on and add a daily probiotic supplement to keep defenses on high alert. Look for one that does not need to be refrigerated, so you can travel with it. Doing so promotes healthy digestion, balances intestinal flora so the bad doesn’t overwhelm the good, and strengthens overall immune function. Probiotics offer a tremendous amount of protective health bang for your buck, so take advantage!

Responsible for the metabolic function of over 350 enzymes in the body, magnesium is a crucial mineral and a powerful remedy for many ailments. It’s one of those wonderful, good-for-what-ails-you supplements that’s great for travelers who need gentle relief from constipation or headaches or help falling asleep. It’s also a drug-free way to help keep blood pressure down and relieve menstrual cramps and muscle aches after a long day of sightseeing. Traveling with a stash of magnesium is like having a mini–medicine cabinet packed into just a few capsules, so think of it as a space saver, too.

I’ll admit it, I am a bit of a greens freak, and I encourage you to become one, too, particularly if you often find yourself coming up short on energy. Add greens powder to cold water, and shake up an energy drink that nourishes every cell in your body and gives you a terrific, jitter-free boost to flagging energy, especially if you haven’t been eating enough leafy greens or you just need to make it through one more museum without taking a nap! Green drinks are an easy way to supercharge your diet with nutrients, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes—all of which will help keep your gut balanced and your immunity high, no matter where you roam.

4. Health-boosting Refreshments—To Hydrate and Refresh

In addition to carrying greens powder packets, I also travel with a small selection of ingredients that, when combined with water, make instant healthy “drinks with benefits,” whether I’m having room service at the hotel or am out and about. For my DIY beverage bar, I always take along:

Blueberry hibiscus tea bags, which, in seconds, make a delicious fruity drink that’s also great for blood pressure and vascular health

Rooibos tea bags, for a more traditionally tealike taste without the caffeine

DIY energy drink, made with ribose, a simple sugar that offers quick energy for especially intense or physically demanding days spent hiking or cycling

5. Healthy, Spoil-proof Snacks

Uncrushable, healthy, and delicious, a few single-serving packs of organic almond butter are always in my bag, ready to save the day when healthy foods are hard to find. Among my other favorite on-the-go treats that travel well: almonds and other nuts or organic trail mix.

For more ideas on how to keep health on track when you’re away from home, check out the Be Well Travel eBook.

Virgil Abloh took to Instagram to announce that his label OFF-WHITE will be opening up its second location in Asia in the heart of Tokyo’s Aoyama district, just a stone’s throw away from the city’s Acne and Maison Kitsuné stores. Abloh’s latest “SOMETHING & ASSOCIATES” concept, which was constructed with the help of Family New York’s Dong Ping Wong, will serve as both a retail and office space inspired by New York’s Wall Street financial hub. Details regarding the project are relatively sparse but it will carry both the women’s and men’s ready-to-wear line in addition to a range of accessories. Make sure to check it out at the address below starting July 9.

Erykah Badu has finally addressed the reference about her on the Kendrick Lamar guest verse that prompted speculation of romance between the two stars. K-Dot mentioned Badu in a line on Kanye West’s "No More Parties In L.A.", rapping: “Um, well cutie, I like your bougie bootie/Come Erykah Badu me/Hell, let’s make a movie”. Erykah Badu has firmly denied the rumors, saying on Twitter earlier today that “Kendrick aint called me since y’all made up some shit about us being in the trailer makin out so he missed his award”.

Out in Compton, Hitta J3 is one of the most talented, fastest-rising rappers dominating the scene. Following his recent, show-stealing role as one of the central figures in the recent Noisey feature on Kendrick Lamar and his hometown of Compton, Hitta J3 has now dropped a brand new full-length project. Linking up with like-minded California representatives such as Joe Moses, RJ, Mozzy and AD, Hitta J3 serves up an expansive 16 new songs. From soul-searching stories to club anthems to block-beating bangers and street narratives, J3’s The Collect Call presents a look at Compton only someone really born and raised within the city’s boundaries can deliver. You can stream The Collect Call below.

The Los Angeles Police Department reports that more than $2 million USD worth of jewelry was stolen from Nick Tershay — also known as Nick Diamond — founder of Diamond Supply Co. The robbery took place early Sunday at Diamonds’ Hollywood Hills home, and the culprits included five armed men who also stole a pistol and a rifle. While police didn’t indicate whether anyone was hurt, neighbors and reports say that “someone got beat up.” Upon moving into his Hollywood Hills home last year, the streetwear stalwart was already looking to sell his new abode with an open house taking place around six months ago. The house is currently on the market for $8 million USD.

Make a Wish! Ahhhh the Sweet Taste of Success

In case you haven’t noticed, everything is birthday cake-flavored these days. Yep, your customers love the taste of it. That’s why we encourage you to help them have their cake, without the calories. They’ll love you for it. Dozens of birthday-flavored products are now available to satisfy this craving for a sweet treat. And even sweeter sales.

Batter up!

Below you’ll find a few of the most popular birthday-cake flavored products to stock your shelves. Some are chocolate flavored. Others are vanilla or cookie or cake batter. But all are delicious. Contact your Europa Sales Consultant today to discuss the value in ordering any of our top products. Success tastes sweeter than ever.

Images have come in of an all new supplement from the Gold Standard brand Optimum Nutrition, officially titled Protein Water. The product is an RTD formula which just as its name suggests, is whey protein isolate infused water. Unfortunately we don’t yet have a look at the back of Protein Water, although like most supplements there are a few highlights on the front of the upcoming Optimum creation confirming a few important details.The numbers we know of so far for Protein Water are 20g of protein, with zero fat, sugar and lactose. Due to the majority of those being zero there is actually very little left to be revealed for the product, with carbohydrates and calories being two of the bigger unknown macros. Moving on to its menu, Protein Water is due to be available in at least three flavors, Orange Freeze, Icy Blue Raspberry and Tropical Fruit Punch.

Since we’ve only got the preview images of Protein Water to go off, we are without the important detail of when the supplement will actually be released. Until more information becomes available we’ll just have to assume it’s coming soon, although when it does finally arrive it will in fact be Optimum’s first entirely new product since Gold Standard Pre-Workout.

Abs….Its a love hate relationship wouldn’t you agree? Oh the battle of the abs… Indeed we all want to walk around with flat toned abs all the time but I would be a huge liar to say I look like this all the time. Ive spent years in the gym, dieting and trying many different strategies and methods to see what works for my body. Also depending on what we eat, hormones and many other factors we can simply make you retain water in your abs. I rarely have six pack abs besides when I compete and Im completely happy not having them either. I do however try to maintain a very toned midsection and oblique definition. A look you would think of more model than “fitness”. There are a few reasons for this:

I love Chocolate

I have made this a balanced lifestyle.

Now that Im 32 and my daughter is 13, Im focusing on my corporate career, maintaining the household, staying in shape, enjoying some travel and making memories with my family. Im not a 100% full time athlete, but I train daily and try to continuously set goals with my physique to reach them and challenge myself. At this point I want to make some money, save for my retirement and be healthy all while showing my daughter healthy habits as well. I don’t want to kill myself doing two a days in the gym…trust me Ive been there done that! Now days I can train 4-5 days a week for roughly 30min-1hour and Im able to maintain my current status.

I use this picture for this post particularly because this was two weeks of cutting out all sugars. Thats all I changed and I still enjoyed some tacos, guacamole and a few other things throughout the week! Its all about living a healthy balanced lifestyle. I don’t cut out anything I just make a healthier version of that particular food Im craving. Step outside of your comfort zone and get creative with your food, you’ll be surprised at what things you can enjoy all while not packing on the pounds directly to your abs ugh

What started as a simple Tumblr page has turned into a rather sophisticated magazine with a strong following over the years. Polanski is certainly one of the leaders when it comes to the recent wave of tasteful nude magazines with a lifestyle edge. For Summer 2016 the makers of the magazine have decided to release a small t-shirt capsule collection. Keeping it clean and subtle, three t-shirts are presented with minimal graphic prints, in line with the general aesthetic direction of the magazine. Keep checking back on the Polanski online store for the official release soon.

The rectus abdominis receives all the credit for a well-developed midsection. But there’s an underrated star beneath it that can pull your stomach in and enhance your six-pack even more!

When you think of your abs, you envision the six-pack. You imagine the perfectly carved rectus abdominis muscle that’s ever so visible, at least if your body fat is in single digits.

You hardly ever consider other muscles of the midsection. But today, I want to familiarize you with the transverse abdominis. It’s actually located behind the rectus abdominis and isn’t visible—but that doesn’t mean you should skip training it. Training the transverse abdominis can effectively help you develop a better six-pack (yes, that’s right) and even strengthen your core.

First, it’s useful to understand how the transverse abdominis works. Bear with me as I wade into a little bit of science.

What Is The Transverse Abdominis?

The transverse abdominis (TVA) is the deepest layer of muscle tissue in the abdominal wall. It originates from the costal cartilage of your lower six ribs, the anterior portion of the iliac crest (the top part of your hip bone) and the inguinal ligament. It wraps around to the front where it connects to what’s called the xiphoid process (the base of your sternum), pubic tubercle (front of pubic bone), and linea alba (which separates the right and left halves of your six-pack).

The primary purpose of the often underrated transverse abdominis is to compress the abdomen; the secondary purpose is spinal and core stability.1 This may not sound like much at first, but it essentially means that without the transverse abdominis, you wouldn’t be able to hold your stomach in, and it would appear distended. In layman’s terms, you’d be rocking a beer belly.

You’re probably familiar with a "vacuum" or possibly the "vacuum pose" that was popularized by one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding rivals, Frank Zane. What this actually refers to is one’s ability to contract the transverse abdominis (basically, sucking in your stomach). This is ideal from an aesthetic standpoint, as you can simultaneously contract (or flex) the transverse abdominis at the same time as the rectus abdominis to create a bit more of a dramatic look to the abs overall.

Imagine flexing your abs while your stomach is protruding—it wouldn’t look too impressive, right? You may still see the overall outline of your six-pack if you’re lean enough, but imagine how much better your abs would appear if you were able to simultaneously "suck in" your entire stomach at the same time. By training the TVA, you’re essentially building up your endurance at holding your stomach in, which is something that can be quite difficult to do over longer periods of time, like standing on stage or posing for a photo shoot. Heck, it even helps when you want to look your best at the beach!

Because of muscle-fiber make-up, strengthening the transverse abdominis is more oriented toward endurance-style training than the methods you’d use to target most skeletal muscle groups. Think of holding plank exercises for a period of time. Those muscle aren’t going to grow much as a result of those exercises.

Based off the mechanics of the muscle, most of the strengthening of the TVA comes from compound movements that require full core and lower-back stabilization—think squats and deadlifts. A stronger TVA acts as nature’s weight belt, stabilizing the spine and pelvis during lifting motions. Ironically, if you’re always wearing a weight belt, you may unknowingly be weakening the muscle.

Doing specific rectus-abdominis movements like crunches and hanging leg raises alone does have some tangential effect strengthening the TVA, but they’re not enough to pull your belly in. Here, doing exercises to effectively strengthen the TVA are essential to improving your vacuum while helping to reduce abdominal protrusion, not to mention the positive effect that may have on your lower back.

Dedicated TVA Exercises

There are three simple exercises that effectively target the transverse abdominis: vacuums, plank vacuums, and Swiss-ball roll-outs.

When performing these movements, focus on the compression of the abdomen. Since that’s the natural function of the TVA, it’s important to focus on emphasizing the compression of your abdomen in order to maximally tax the TVA and increase its strength.

Stand and suck in your stomach, focusing on drawing your belly button back into your spine. It may be difficult at first, but after a few times through, you’ll be able to draw in your abdomen and perform a solid vacuum.

The plank vacuum is essentially the same motion as a traditional vacuum, except you’re in a plank position on the floor (which is basically the top of a push-up). You’ll follow the same protocol as above, but being prone forces you to work directly against gravity, thus making it a more advanced variation.

3. Swiss-Ball Roll-Out

Place your shins on an exercise ball with your hands on the floor. Roll the ball toward your chest by driving your knees into your chest, flexing your abs in the process. Ordinarily, this would just be a normal exercise for the lower rectus abdominis, but if you simultaneously focus on drawing in your gut and performing a subtle vacuum at the end of the movement (when the legs are extended), you’ll notice a much stronger engagement of the abs. This is a great introduction to how improving the TVA can begin to help you train your rectus abdominis (the six-pack) more effectively.

The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to train the transverse abdominis three times per week. Do it after your weight workouts, when you’re already slightly fatigued. This does not replace your normal ab training; it should be an ancillary set of exercises that’ll enhance your six-pack like never before!